


Still Human

by trombonistnicole



Series: Sleep is for the weak [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 19:12:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15869964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trombonistnicole/pseuds/trombonistnicole
Summary: When Shiro, Matt, and Sam get back to Earth, Keith isn't waiting for Shiro. It's up to Shiro to bring Keith home this time.(Prequel to Sleep is for the Weak)





	Still Human

When Shiro finished the landing sequence, when he finally got his boots back into Earth, he expected Keith to be there, waiting for him.

He wasn't.

He wasn't in his room, the sim, or any of his regular hiding spots.

Shiro finally gave up searching and asked Iverson.

_ He was expelled. Disciplinary issues. Disappeared off the map after that. The police sent out search parties, but… nothing. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. _

There was no way… no way Keith could be dead. He wasn't stupid, and while he was reckless, his abilities and instincts usually got him out of the consequences of his own irresponsibility. He’d know if Keith was dead. People had a sense for it, right? There's no way he could be dead.

Unless his bike broke down in the middle of the desert and he died of dehydration. Unless he got in a fight he couldn't win. Unless he got kidnapped. Unless he got bit by a venomous snake and died. Unless he overestimated himself and crashed. Unless he was hit by a car, died in a fire, fell off a cliff, got eaten by wild animals, ate something deadly.

Unless Shiro's absence was the cause of his own cousin’s demise. 

Unless he died alone, no one by his side, no one to even properly mourn him until months after his death.

Matt tried to comfort him, but no. Shiro refused to rest until he found either his cousin or a corpse.

Nobody seemed interested in helping Shiro in his efforts.  _ Keith is dead, Shirogane,  _ they told him. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He wouldn't give up. He was going to find his cousin if he had to scour the entire desert by himself.

_ That's a terrible idea,  _ Matt pointed out to him when Shiro told him as much. His impassioned speech fell flat to Matt's logic, that if Keith were alive, he'd probably be on the move, and with Keith on the move there was no way to check the entire desert for him, even if they had the time to do so. No, there had to be a better way.

Late nights ensued. Late nights of research, of looking for clues, of combing satellite footage and compiling evidence. Late nights of Shiro slowly falling apart at the prospect of never finding his cousin. He couldn't give up! 

After two weeks of maddened searching, Shiro fell upon an answer too obvious to be the truth. Somewhere, out in the middle of nowhere, there was a small house, a small house that once belonged to Tex Kogane. 

When he realized this, Shiro called Matt immediately.

“Shiro, it's four in the morning,” he protested, voice slurred from exhaustion. “Go to bed.”

“Tex Kogane.”

“What?”

“Keith's dad owned a house. What if he's been hiding out there all this time?” Shiro proposed, voice strained and cracking.

“Shiro, if no one was there or maintaining it, it probably either decomposed or it did get maintained insofar as the bank foreclosed on it and someone bought it.” He paused. “Now go to bed. You need your sleep.”

“I'll go to bed when I know Keith is safe.”

“It's  _ 4 AM,”  _ Matt reminded him, barely keeping exasperation out of his voice. “There's nothing you can do right now.”

He was right, Shiro knew that, but there had to be something else he could do. Some way he could further his progress. But it was 4 AM. And Shiro honestly had no idea when he'd last slept. He was having trouble focusing, thinking, accomplishing anything at work. 

“Alright,” he relented, ending the call and lying down. He must've been more exhausted than he realized, because he lost consciousness almost immediately.

When he awoke the next day, sunlight was streaming through the window, the smell of chili wafting through the apartment. Matt had probably snuck into Shiro's apartment and presumably heated up leftover chili, which was kind of a… weird breakfast. Shiro looked at the clock. _ 12:12 PM.  _ He'd gotten… eight hours, which wasn't terrible, all things considered. But… sleeping that late, he was missing work.

He fell out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen. Matt was there, as anticipated, seated at the slowly eating chili, still in his grey sleep pants and a green bathrobe. He turned his head towards Shiro when he entered the room.

“Morning. Want me to make you some eggs?” he offered, giving him a warm smile.

“I'm late for work,” he grunted. “So are you, actually.”

Matt shook his head. “I called us both in sick. After you eat we're gonna pay a visit to that house you mentioned last night. Or, I guess, this morning,” he explained. “Mmkay?”

“I…” Sometimes Shiro forgot how considerate Matt could be. “Yeah. Uh, thank you. How long have you been up?”

“I got up around 8:30. I wanted to let you sleep,” he clarified. “I've been figuring out the location of the house you wanted to check out. Got the coordinates.” He had made his way to the stove, turned it on, and poured a bit of oil in the pan.

“You're the best.”

“We'll find him, Shiro,” Matt promised. “We'll bring him home.”

 

They took a bike there, Matt clutching to Shiro as he drove, following the directions Matt had given him. It had been too long since Shiro had had the exhilaration of riding out there, out in the desert with sand blowing around him, dodging chasms and hopping cliffs. He was reminded of his races with Keith, all the time he'd spent driving around the desert with him. 

He could do that again, when they found him.

If they- no, he couldn't think like that.

They arrived at Matt’s coordinates. There was a shack, small enough it couldn't have held much more than a bedroom and a bathroom. There was a door in front, a covered porch, plus a second door into a concrete block. It was entirely unremarkable- the shack didn't look particularly decomposed or overgrown, but it also didn't look well-maintained. There was a rocking chair on the porch, but that was the only clue that it was at all lived in. 

Getting closer, Shiro noticed that the windows were covered with what looked to be white sheets. He rapped on the door when he reached it. No response. He tried knocking again, but still nothing. 

“I'm breaking it down,” Shiro grunted, taking a couple steps back.

“Shiro, no,” Matt protested. “Let me pick the lock.”

Shiro sighed and let Matt get to work on it. After several minutes of struggling with it and grumbling about it being a weirdly complicated lock, Matt managed to get it open.

Shiro entered first, sensing Matt's nervousness about the seemingly abandoned cabin. There was something about the house's atmosphere… the air was a little dusty, there was a crack in the wall, the table was just a piece of wood propped up on a couple of bricks…

Sometimes Shiro forgot how much less wealthy that side of the family was.

“Keith?” Shiro called, voice betraying a little bit of anxiety.

Nothing. 

They crept through the rest of the house but found it devoid of life. The bed was unmade, a faint layer of dust on the sheets. Shiro tried the lamp, but it didn't seem to be working. In the bathroom, he tried the sink. A weak trickle of water came out, but it seemed dirty and unusable. There was a large jug of water next to the sink that looked at least marginally cleaner, but there was no telling how old it was. Or if it was actually clean.

Matt cried out from the main room. Shiro ran out to find him pinned to the floor by some kind of bizarre wild animal. It had a dark body, thin front legs, and a mat of dark fur on its head. Its ears were large, fluffy, and almost purple in color. It had one clawed purple paw on Matt’s shoulder and the other was wrapped around his throat. It was letting out a low, feral growl. Matt’s eyes were wide with fear as he looked over to Shiro. The animal followed Matt’s gaze to Shiro and he saw its face. It looked… human, almost, but its eyes were large and yellow, with slit pupils. Its bared teeth were sharp, clearly made for ripping apart meat. Its face was as purple at its front legs. 

The animal's pupils became rounder when it met Shiro's eyes. The animalistic scowl gave way to a very human look of surprise. He released his hold on Matt, who quickly scrambled out from underneath him. He made no move to stop him, even shifting to a kneeling position. Its claws sheathed.

“Shiro?” he asked, voice small, eyes almost… fearful? 

Then it clicked. The hair, the voice, the body clearly covered with clothing…

“Keith,” Shiro breathed. He rushed forward and looped his arms around Keith's body, lifting him into his arms, hugging his little cousin to his chest. “Keith, Keith, Keith…”

Keith laughed lightly, actually hugging back rather than struggling for freedom. “Shiro,” he greeted. 

Shiro set him back down on his feet, moving his hands to rest on Keith's shoulders. He didn't seem much taller or larger, but he felt heavier, like there was more muscle packed into his thin frame. Now that he got a closer look, he could see that Keith's irises were more violet than before, his hair was in fact a little bit purple tinted. A darkened stripe connected his jaw to his cheekbone, one on each side. Now that they were in a smile rather than a snarl, his sharp canines seemed more cute than ferocious.

“You're purple,” he commented.

“Yep,” Keith agreed.

“W-wait.  _ That's  _ Keith?” Matt demanded, stunned.

The teenager turned to look at Matt. “Yep. Like the new look?” He gave him a closed-mouth smirk. 

“It's… wow,” Matt offered. “How did this happen?”

Keith jerked his chin towards the couch, and they took a seat. Keith sat on the floor across from them, one knee up with the other leg spread out. 

“While I was still at the Garrison, I noticed a rash. I kinda just ignored it, assuming it would go away. But it didn't. It just got worse. I didn't know who to go to, so I just… shut down. Everything hurt, I was emotional, and I didn't know what was happening. So when I got expelled, I just kinda fled. I dunno. It just got worse and worse, and then it eventually got to this point. I don't know why it happened, it just kinda... did,” he explained. 

“I'm sorry I wasn't here for you,” Shiro apologized. “I could have-”

“No,” Keith cut him off. “I'm glad you went on the mission. Don't feel bad for that. I'm glad you're home now, but I don't blame you for being gone, far from it.”

Shiro slid around the table and offered Keith his hand. He took it and stood up. “Come on. We're going home now.”

Keith shook his head. “I can't go back into the world. Not… like this.”

“We'll keep you safe, Keith. I'll never let anyone hurt you. I promise,” Shiro reassured. “Come on, now.”

Keith sighed. “Let me grab my things.”

 

They arrived at the Garrison, Keith covering as much of himself as possible (hat, scarf, gloves). Shiro brought them in through one of the higher clearance doors to avoid traffic. 

“Dad, I brought visitors!” Matt exclaimed as they entered Sam’s office. His back was turned to them. Even though everything was electronic, Sam managed to keep his office messy, with a bunch of engineering equipment and parts that Shiro couldn't even begin to name all over his desk, as well as some spread out on the floor. Knowing Sam, there was probably some rhyme or reason to the placement, but Shiro couldn't recognize it.

Sam turned around. “Oh, hello, Shiro. This is-” He broke off when he saw Keith's eyes.

“This is Keith,” Shiro introduced. Keith pulled the scarf off of his face.

Sam stared at him for a couple seconds, a grin slowly growing on his face. “Alright, nice to see you again, Keith.”

Keith swallowed. “Yeah, hi Dr Holt,” he greeted.

Sam looked back over at Shiro. “So… what brings you to my office?”

Shiro sighed. “We don't know what to do with him. He's nervous about facing the rest of the world but as his guardian I can't allow him to hide in a shack in the middle of the desert for the rest of his life.”

Sam nodded. “Makes sense. I would suggest we go through the Garrison with this, but I understand he has some… strained relations with the Garrison?”

“That's correct,” Shiro confirmed.

“There's gotta be something we can do,” Matt interjected. “We could get some off-campus housing or… I dunno.”

“That's not a bad idea,” Shiro commented after a pause. “We'll need to discuss it with a couple higher-ups, but it shouldn't be a problem. Especially given the circumstances.”

“Where should I stay while you're doing that?” Keith asked. “Just hide out in your apartment?”

Shiro looked at Sam.

“My office gets too much traffic for him to stay with me,” he informed them. He paused. “Matt, isn't Katie part of the Garrison right now?”

“Yeah, she's though she's undercover as a boy. Why?”

“She could keep him company,” he suggested.

“Great idea! Keith, you remember Pidge, right?” Matt prompted. “My little sister?”

“Of course I remember her, Matt. She's too much of a gremlin for me to forget her,” Keith reminded him. “Plus, y'know, I've known her for years?”

“Good point. I'll contact her.”

Matt got out his phone and had a brief texting exchange with Pidge. “Alright, she'll meet us in Shiro's apartment.”

 

When Matt called Pidge to Shiro's apartment about a 'surprise,’ they had no idea what to expect. Matt's surprises were pretty much split down the middle when it came to quality. Sometimes he surprised them with cake, sometimes he surprised them with mayonnaise in their shampoo bottle.

So, when they entered Shiro's apartment, they were fairly wary. It wasn't that close to their birthday or anything, but that wouldn't stop Matt from jump scaring them.

Instead, they were greeted by Keith, back turned to the door as he cooked something that smelled suspiciously like macaroni and cheese. There were weird purple puffs on the side of his head. Probably some weird fashion trend or something.

“Hey, you can't eat that,” Pidge protested. “You'll throw up.”

They could practically hear Keith's eyeroll. “Pidge, I've been drinking unpurified river water for months and haven't had any problems. You really think I can't handle a little dairy?” he pointed out.

Pidge walked around the counter and plopped down on the seat across from where Keith was standing.

They couldn't help but stare a little at the sight.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm an alien or a desert cryptid or something,” he acknowledged. 

Pidge made eye contact with him, and even though his eyes had changed color, they were still fundamentally the same. They were still Keith's eyes.

“I'm really glad you're alive,” Pidge mumbled. “I kinda missed out on the whole ‘you being declared dead’ news, but when Matt told me, I was pretty worried.”

Keith laughed. “It takes more than turning purple and drinking straight river water and eating nothing but the things that I could either kill or gather for months to kill me. Found out of something was poisonous the hard way every time.”

“Keith, you're such a fucking idiot. You could've called someone for help!” Pidge exclaimed.

“Like who? The only people who cared about me and had the ability to help me were out in space!” Keith retorted, dropping the wooden spoon into the pot. “Yeah, I could've called you, but what would that accomplish?”

“Oh, I dunno, I could tell my mom and _she_ could help you,” Pidge suggested. “You could've called Shiro's old flight partner, too.”

“I didn't want someone to see me alone and decide I'd be better off in a group or foster home. Nobody ever talks about the couple months in between dad's death and Shiro getting custody. They were the worst months of my life! I didn't want to go through that again!” Keith shouted, picking the spoon back up and resuming his stirring.

Pidge shrunk a little. “I thought he got custody right away,” they admitted.

“He was injured a lot worse than I was and he couldn't really get custody while he was still in the hospital. Plus, with his arm gone, they weren't sure if he'd make a suitable guardian.” He scoffed. “Like the families who hit me, starved me and made me feel like trash were ‘more suitable guardians.’”

Pidge must have had an impressive look of horror because Keith quickly backpedalled. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you, I just… forget I said anything at all.”

Pidge stood up. “Nope, nope, you don't get to do that.”

Keith removed the spoon from the pot and set it in a glass measuring cup, avoiding getting cheese on the counter. “The past is in the past, Pidge,” he grunted.

“Well, clearly not completely, if it's bothering you like this!” they countered. 

Keith sighed, closing his eyes. “It's just… everything is complicated.”

Pidge walked around the counter and set their right hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry for pressuring you, Keith. I'm just… worried about you.”

“I know,” he murmured. “I'm not good at letting people worry about me.”

They removed their hand. “Well, you're awfully good at  _ making  _ people worry about you.”

Keith chuckled. “Sorry about that. Want some macaroni?”

“Of fucking course I want macaroni.”

 

They ended up watching Thor: Ragnarok and eating way too much macaroni and cheese. When Matt and Shiro got back to the apartment, it was getting dark, and the teenagers were both splayed out on the couch. 

“Hey,” Matt greeted, flopping down on the couch, planting himself directly on Pidge’s stomach.

Pidge let out a squeak. “Get off of me, you gargoyle!” they exclaimed, flailing their legs in an attempt to get him off, which only succeeded in hitting Keith with a sharp kick to the gut.

Keith grabbed their foot and pinned it down, presumably instinctively.

Shiro exhaled. “Matt, get off of Pidge. Pidge, stop kicking Keith. Keith, let go of Pidge’s foot.”

“Stop clawing me!” Pidge added.

Keith released Pidge’s foot and shoved Matt off of the couch. He landed gracelessly on the floor with an 'oof.’ He grabbed his sibling and pulled them onto the floor as well.

“Let go of me!” they shrieked, resuming their thrashing.

Shiro massaged the bridge of his nose. “Stop fighting,” he groaned. “Matt, you're a grown man.”

Matt released his sibling, who scrambled away from him. 

“Matt, you suck,” they mocked.

Shiro picked up the empty bowls and noticed the cheese sauce. “Oh no. Keith, why would you do this?”

“I can stomach river water and bugs now. Pretty sure I'll be fine,” he responded. “Stop being a dad.”

“I'm your guardian. It's my  _ job  _ to be your dad.”

Keith crossed his arms. “I'm pretty sure I turned 18, Shiro _. _ ”

“Well, you'll always be my little cousin to me,” Shiro teased, sitting down next to him.

Keith scowled at him, but mirth twinkled in his eyes. “Whatever. What's the story?”

“We're gonna get off-campus housing. We're already lining up places to check out,” Shiro explained.

“Matt, too? Or is he gonna live with us?”

Matt coughed and Shiro reddened a little. “I dunno we're… ready for that kind of commitment,” he choked out. “He's gonna get his own apartment. Pidge, that way you'll have another place to stay over winter and summer break if you want.”

“Yeah,” they agreed, climbing back up onto the couch next to Keith.

“Also, Pidge, quick question: what pronouns are you using?” Shiro asked. “Sam's been using she/her but Matt has been switching between she/her and they/them.”

“Oh, uh, I kinda… switch between she/her and they/them,” they explained. “I don't really care what you use. Although I'm using he/him at school, so… use that around my classmates. Thanks for asking.”

Shiro smiled and ruffled their hair. “Which is it right now? I'll do my best to keep track.”

“They/them. And thanks,” Pidge replied.

“Of course,” Shiro confirmed. He hooked his arm over Keith's shoulders and pulled him against his body. To everyone's surprise, Keith leaned into his touch, resting his head against Shiro's side. Shiro threaded his fingers through his cousin's hair, gently rubbing his scalp.

“I feel like the fact that Keith and Shiro are cuddling and Pidge and I were trying to beat each other up really sums up our respective families,” Matt commented. 

“The killing each other comes later,” Keith chuckled.

Shiro pressed a kiss to the side of Keith's head. “That's right.”

Matt checked his watch. “Well, Pigeon, if you don't hurry along you'll miss curfew,” he reminded them.

They rolled their eyes. “I hate curfew.” They stood up. “See you losers later.”

“Have fun with classes!” Keith taunted.

They rolled their eyes. “Shut it, Kogane.” They left the apartment.

Matt grinned at Shiro. “Well, I better take my leave. Don't wanna keep you two up.”

“It's not even nine,” Keith objected.

“Aww, do you want me around or something?”

“No, get out of here, goblin,” Keith fired. “I have to interrogate Shiro about his mission.”

“Alright, have fun!” Matt encouraged. “See you guys later!”

Once Matt was gone, Shiro turned to Keith, who was cuddling into his chest rather aggressively.

“Hey, you ok?” He tilted Keith's head up to look at him.

“I-I'm just… overwhelmed,” he admitted. “It's just… so many people.”

Shiro reached over with his free hand and clasped Keith's hand in his. “I'm sorry, buddy. It's just us, now, ok?”

Keith nodded, trying to prevent his emotions from bubbling over. “Y-yeah.”

“And I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.”

Keith sniffled, burying his face in Shiro's chest again. “I love you,” he mumbled into the soft fabric of Shiro's shirt.

“I love you too.”

 

The next day at 5 AM, Keith tore out of Shiro's arms and stumbled over to the trash can. He began expelling the contents of his stomach into it, choking out sobs through the painful heaves. Shiro woke up and went over to his cousin, rubbing his back through the ordeal, murmuring reassurances.

About ten minutes later, Keith fell to his knees, his stomach finally empty. Shiro grabbed a paper towel and wiped the strands of vomit off of his face. 

“Hey, you feeling any better?”

Keith whimpered and nodded. The tears on his cheeks were the only indication that he'd been crying- no redness, purpleness, or whatever color Keith's blood was. What did Keith's blood look like, anyway? 

Shiro helped Keith up. “Why don't you get a shower? You probably feel icky.”

“Yeah, ok,” Keith agreed, heading towards the bathroom.

Shiro threw away the paper towel. He tied up the trash bag and carried it to a nearby trash chute, tossing it in. He went back to his apartment and washed his hands.

“Keith! What do you want for breakfast?” he asked through the door. “Are you hungry yet?”

“I'm not eating anytime soon,” he replied. “Make whatever you want for yourself. I'll figure out myself when I'm ready to eat.”

“Alright,” Shiro agreed. “Today's my day off, so we're going house hunting.”

“ _ I'm _ not going anywhere,” Keith disputed. “Unless you mean online, in which case, ok.”

Shiro sighed. Keith's appearance was going to be a… challenge, to say the least. Oh well. “Alright, I guess I'll go alone. You gonna be ok here by yourself?”

“Yes, Shiro, I'll be fine,” Keith reassured him, though his tone was exasperated. “Don't worry about me.”

“I'm your guardian. It's my job to worry about you.”

“Can you let me shower now?” Keith requested after a beat.

“Sorry, sorry,” Shiro apologized. “I'll see you when you get out.”

Keith emerged from the bathroom wearing Shiro's grey bathrobe a couple minutes later. “Hey, do you still have any of my old clothes?”

“Yeah, they should be in your room with the rest of your stuff,” Shiro informed him, serving himself an omelette. 

Keith scrunched up his nose in disgust at the smell. 

“Sorry,” Shiro apologized. “I know you hate omelettes.”

“It's cause of that time you tried to make me a goat cheese omelette,” Keith reminded him, moving to cover his nose with his hand. “It was so bad.”

“I know, I know. Go get dressed.”

Keith headed into his room. Shiro ate quickly, hoping to get the scent out of the air to reduce Keith's discomfort. Sometimes scents could bother Keith, and, right after he threw up everything in his system, Shiro didn't want to make him more nauseated.

Keith emerged from his room in fresh clothes. He tossed Shiro's bathrobe on the couch before flopping down next to it.

“Get some more sleep,” Shiro suggested. “Maybe it'll help your stomach ache. Or at least lie down.”

Keith brought his feet up onto the couch as suggested. Shiro grabbed a pillow off of the armchair and tossed it to him, who caught it and put it under his head.

“Blanket?” Shiro offered, picking up the throw over the armchair and holding it up. When Keith nodded, Shiro went over and spread it over his body. “Get some rest, buddy.” He kissed his forehead.

 

Keith ended up getting a three hour nap before waking up to an empty apartment. Shiro must’ve left to go look at houses. Keith poured himself a bowl of cereal and almond milk. Evidently milk was the only thing his system couldn't handle. His system handled literal poison better than dairy.

After he was done with breakfast, he rinsed his bowl and put it in the dishwasher.

Well, now what? He didn't have to gather food or water, he didn't have anything to fix up around the house, he didn't have to worry about bathing, he couldn't even really go out riding. There was… there wasn't much he had to do.

Surviving on his own was a lot easier when he actually had to worry about survival.

He hadn't drawn in a while. He could do that.

After locating his old journal and a pencil, he started sketching.

A couple hours later, the door slid open. 

“Hey,” Keith greeted, not looking up. Probably either Shiro or Matt.

“Hey, Keith.” That wasn't a voice he was expecting. Keith looked up to see Adam standing a couple feet from the door.

Keith stood up. “Uh… what are you doing here?”

Adam blinked, sizing up Keith's appearance before responding, “Shiro left this in my office. I was just dropping it off. It's lunchtime.” He held up one of Shiro's jackets.

“Oh… thanks.”

Adam set the jacket down on one of the barstools. He approached Keith and sat down in the armchair across from him. “Listen… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you,” he apologized. “Back when you were still a student.”

“There's nothing you could have done.”

“That's not true,” Adam asserted. “The majority of your support system was gone, but I didn't think to fill in for them. I didn't support you when you needed it. And I'm sorry. Even if I couldn't have changed the outcome, I should've tried.”

“I wouldn't have let you,” Keith mumbled. “I wasn't very interested in letting anyone into my life.”

Adam sighed. “Keith, I want you to let other people care about you.”

“Most of the people I care about go away!” Keith snapped. “I'm sick of getting hurt, Adam! So you can't just tell me to let others care about me. Caring is a two way street!”

Adam flinched. “I…” He trailed off. After a second, he offered, “Do you want me to make you some lunch?”

Keith waved him off. “You probably need to get back to class or whatever.”

The officer stood up. “What do you want?”

“Don't care, as long as it doesn't have dairy in it,” he replied. “You really don't need to worry about it.”

“If you're not gonna let me care about you, at least let me care  _ for _ you,” Adam requested. He reached the fridge and peered into it. “How does a wrap sound? And don't worry, I'm not putting dairy in it.”

“Alright,” Keith agreed.

Adam put a wrap together for Keith in silence. Keith watched him, some wariness in his eyes.

Adam walked back over to Keith and handed him the plate. “Here you are.”

Keith took it. “Thanks.”

Adam crouched so that he was eye-to-eye with the seated teenager. “Listen. I know you don't really trust me, and that's ok, but… I want you to know that I do care about you. And if there's anything you need, you can come talk to me, ok? Anything you don't wanna talk to Shiro or Matt or any of your friends about.” He leaned forward and whispered, “I'm a lot better at keeping secrets than them.”

“Everyone is better at keeping secrets than the Holts,” Keith retorted. “The whole family runs on the philosophy of ‘doing something wrong isn't really wrong if you don't get caught.’”

Adam smiled. “Yeah, I've kinda picked up on that.” He patted Keith's shoulder. “You know my number. Call me anytime.” He glanced at his watch. “I should probably get going. I'll see you later.”

“Bye.”

 

Shiro returned that evening looking thoroughly exhausted. “I hate house hunting,” he announced.

“Sorry to hear that. Any hits?” 

He nodded. “There's this nice two bedroom, pretty nearby. The bedrooms are nice and close together and it's kind of in the middle of nowhere as far as neighborhood goes. You won't have to worry too much about others seeing you. It's pretty cheap, too.”

“That's nice. Probably cause we're the only ones who want to be out in the middle of nowhere.”

Shiro chuckled. “Probably. 

After a moment, Keith sighed and lowered his head. “I'm sorry you have to go through all this effort for me.”

“What?”

“I mean… if I weren't weighing you down, you could just keep your apartment here. You wouldn't have to worry about finding me a new place to stay, making sure I was comfortable… you could just be a twenty five year old. These past seven years you've been stuck with me… it was never fair to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a burden.”

Shiro dropped the bag he was holding and rushed over to Keith. “No, no no no, you're not a burden, Keith. I promise. I take care of you because I love you. I could've taken any number of options when we were orphaned, but I didn't. I wanted you by my side because I love you. I want you to be safe and happy. I can't be happy if I don't know you're alright.” 

“That's dumb.”

“That's love,” Shiro corrected. “Ok?”

Keith racked his brain. Would he be able to be happy, not knowing if Shiro was ok? Or would there always be a part of him stuck on worrying?

“I love you too, Shiro,” he informed him, after a moment of pondering.

Shiro smiled. “I got some chicken strips on the way home. I hope I didn't ruin them by dropping them.”

“I don't think you can ruin chicken strips by dropping them, Shiro.”

“Let's hope not.”

 

It took a couple more weeks to get everything finalized, but Keith and Shiro finally bought and moved into the new house.

Shiro came into Keith's room as he was unpacking one of the last boxes of his possessions. He picked up a purple plush hippo from the top of the box.

“You still have this?” he asked.

“Yeah… why wouldn't I?”

Shiro shrugged. “Maybe you decided you were too grown up for a plushie?”

“James told me that plushies were for kids and then I could _never_ get rid of it, just to prove him wrong.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Is that really why you kept it?”

Keith sighed. “That, and… it's just nice to… cuddle with,” he admitted. “And it was just a really nice gift.”

Grinning, Shiro handed the hippo to his cousin. “Well, then I guess Mr Pickles better get used to his new home, eh?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I guess so.”

“And you should, too,” Shiro added. “Welcome home, Keith.”

Keith gave a small smile. “You too, Shiro.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Comments/ kudos are greatly appreciated!


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